Drops of Jupiter
by Bleeding on the Ballroom Floor
Summary: HarryxLuna. Oneshot. Songfic. Beginning of Harry's seventh year, Luna's sixth. He seeks her out on the train. Playful.


Drops of Jupiter

HarryxLuna. Oneshot. Songfic. Beginning of Harry's seventh year, Luna's sixth. The train ride to Hogwarts, and Harry's looking for someone special.

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_Well now she's back in the atmosphere,_

_Drops of Jupiter in her hair_

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Harry Potter stood on the train going back to Hogwarts for his final year. He'd decided that if destiny tugged at him, he would leave to find Voldemort's horcruxes. For the time being, however, he would socialize well and pick who was to come with him. Hermione and Ron were obvious choices; that much was given to him. Everyone wanted him to take Ginny but that would cause friction and he wasn't sure if she could control herself.

Then again, everyone wanted Harry and Ginny back together again. Ron wanted it. Hermione wanted it. Ginny wanted it. The only people who didn't seem to want it were Harry and Neville, who'd been spending a lot more time together. Neville was in the compartment with him now, along with Ron, who had too high hopes for making Head Boy next to Hermione, and Ginny, who was looking at Harry curiously. He wished she would stop.

He tried to catch Neville's eye, but he was too into the conversation, in which he was contributing information about a very cool plant. Ginny seemed rather interested as well. Ron looked a little confused, but he was trying to make sense of it. Deciding he really didn't want to break Ron's concentration, he turned and crept out of the compartment. Okay, he did break Ron's concentration, as well as Neville's and Ginny's. He was given an inquisitive look by all and simply nodded, "I need to go find somebody."

He left before Ron could ask if he was going to see Hermione and if he could come. He wasn't going to see Hermione… he was going to see someone else. He could feel her presence. She was on the train, somewhere. Why did the train have to be so big? He cursed inwardly every time he glanced into a compartment where she wasn't situated.

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_She acts like summer and walks like rain,_

_Reminds me that there's room to change._

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One compartment… fourth year Hufflepuffs, who paid no attention to him. Another compartment… second year Slytherins, one of which growled so pathetically Harry had to stifle laughter. A third compartment… unsorted first years. They were cute in a youthful way, all friends, playing hand games and such. Harry wondered with a pang if they would be friends after the sorting. All kinds of tension could arise and break their friendship. He remembered the Sorting Hat's song when he started his fifth year. He'd actually memorized more words than Hermione had.

He shook himself out of the reverie and tried to concentrate on looking for the girl. Harry had been so into the past lately, and he wasn't sure why. Now that he could calm down once in a while, especially over the summer until July 31st, when he returned once again to Grimmauld Place, he felt he could look back on his experiences. Most 17-year-olds didn't have enough memories -enough intense memories- to look back like that. Harry could almost laugh at the thought. He'd had enough memories by the age of thirteen.

He passed the Head Boy and Head Girl in their compartment, where he received a heart wave from Hermione. Seated next to her was… Draco Malfoy? Ron wasn't going to like this. He wasn't going to like it at all. Hermione gave a worried look, but Harry just shrugged and nodded, telling her not to worry about it. He could tell Ron. He just hoped he was out of hexing range at the time.

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_Since the return from her stay on the moon,_

_She listens like rain and she talks like June._

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A door stood in front of him. It was painted the same colour as the rest of the walls. It led to where the conductor sat surrounded by his controls, and the coal fuelling was kept in there as well. He'd reached the end of the train, so he started back the other way, glancing quickly into every compartment. It was only when he'd reached the other door, in which their trunks, pets, and the trolley were held, panting breathlessly, that he knew he'd missed her.

He had almost turned around when his eyesight flickered out of existence. There was a lovely sensation on his face, recognizable only to him as…

"Guess who." came a playful voice, airy but lavishly decorated with excitement. It sounded a bit odd, but there was only one guess as to who it was.

Harry gave a wide grin, "Hello, Luna."

The girl behind him released his eyes and they blinked a furious green, nearly glowing. He turned around to meet rather large blue eyes- the connection was euphoric to both parties. A broad smile spread across her face as she led him into the last compartment, closest to them, which was empty.

"How was your summer?" she asked him, closing the door.

He smiled again, "Finally left my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Yours?"

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_Tell me, did you sail across the sun,_

_Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded,_

_And that heaven is overrated._

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Luna seemed to glow at being asked about her summer. Pure bliss filled her voice when she spoke, eyes lit, "Daddy and I went to Sweden."

"To catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" asked Harry, laughing now.

She looked like she very much wanted to hug him, but administered self-control. As soon as she controlled herself, however, Harry wished she hadn't. Instead she nodded vigorously, "You remembered. Yes, to catch one."

Harry smirked, "And did you?"

"No." Luna said, not in the slightest bit disappointed, "I wouldn't trap one, but I did see one. They're beautiful. Anyone who doesn't believe in them doesn't deserve to see one."

He blinked at her, and she blinked back ominously. "What do they look like?"

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_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star,_

_One without a permanent scar,_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there._

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Joyous did not describe Luna anymore. "Well they're about this tall"-she motioned about her height sitting down- "And they're a violent emerald green, perfect in the forests. Topped, as if someone drizzled fudge over them, with zebra-like white and black stripes. When they hibernate, they blend and when they don't, they blend too. Daddy and I followed their migrating habits into Norway midsummer. It's rather pleasant there too."

"Oh,"-she perked up and searched in her small handbag that had been strapped around her chest and took out something that looked like a children's candy- "I brought you something. They're Muggle treats, but they're delicious."

Harry nodded through the subject of the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. They did, indeed, sound beautiful, and he wanted more than anything to follow Luna to Sweden or Norway to see one. But was he worthy? He took the egg-shaped thing he was handed and read the label. "Kinder."

She shook her head. He'd said it with a long 'I'. "Kin-derr." she corrected him, shortening the 'I' and flipping the R, small Scandinavian accent more pronounced than ever. "Kinder egg. Try it, they're wonderful."

Harry nodded. It would be good whether he liked the taste or not. How could it be bad, when it came from Luna? He took off the wrapping, stuffed it in his shoe, and bit into the egg. The outside was a creamy milk chocolate, plain enough to be simple and good enough to be special. The inside was white chocolate, with a detected small bit of coconut. He savoured the taste and when he finally did swallow, "Norwegians make the best chocolate."

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_Now that she's back from that soul vacation._

_Tracing her way through the constellation._

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She was so happy that he liked it that this time he did hug him. His neck burned a flushing red as he hugged her back, and that spread to his cheeks when Ginny passed by, looking mortified. Her eyes widened and she turned and walked back down the other side of the train. Luna simply told him that she would handle it. He looked back down at the egg.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to a small yellow yolk-type thing inside it. She took it out and opened it on her lap.

"It's a toy. Want to help put it together?" chanted Luna.

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_She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo,_

_Reminds me that there's room to grow._

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Harry nodded, and they spent several minutes assembling the small red and blue pieces. Luna giggled softly every time he reached across her lap to get another piece, and Harry smiled. He was deep in concentration for most of the time. How did Muggle kids fit this together? It was so hard.

Growing frustrated, he put his connected pieces down on a small pull-down table in the wall. He took the rest of the pieces from her lap and put them there too. He took the two pieces of the yolk and put them together, holding it sideways. A mischievous gleam in his eye, he squeezed the edge closest to the window. The other end shot out and hit Luna in the forehead. He went to apologize, saw her smiling, and ended up laughing. She put the pieces she was working on gently on the table and reached down slowly to pick up the yolk.

Luna then threw it, hard but not too much, at Harry. Both were laughing and throwing the two pieces at each other for a long time, the actual toy forgotten in discovery of this new, faster-to-ready one. Harry felt like a child, playing with cardboard boxes rather than the toys that came inside them. The immaturity didn't faze him a bit. He was with Luna, and Luna would be the last person to judge him.

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_Now that she's back in the atmosphere,_

_I'm afraid she'll think of me as plain ol' Jane,_

_Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land._

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After a while, the eggs became bent and destroyed, and the children out of breath. The trolley came by and Harry got a few chocolate frogs for the two of them. More sugar was all they needed. He closed the window and door before letting them go, chasing them around as they jumped until they were caught and bitten.

As they ate, Luna spoke, "You're different, Harry. I've known people too afraid to come near me. They're too afraid to try something new. But you're not afraid of me. Am I that scary a person?"

Harry's eyes widened to outline the outrageousness. Did she honestly believe he didn't like her, when he'd shown almost all his feeling in the past half hour or so? "Of course not," he told her, patting the hand that had been remaining on her side and almost shivering in the tingling sensation he left.

"Thank you, Harry." she said modestly and almost dryly. What more had she wanted? Harry let out a breath and looked straight into her eyes. They were swirling like a model of the world, a blue so intense the sea should bow down to it.

"You're beautiful, Lu." he told her, the truth of it filling the room to almost bursting point.

Luna sparkled, and shined, and glowed. Such euphoria before has never been felt. At the obvious signs of her reeling senses, Harry began to feel the same way. If Luna Lovegood was odd, odd was a good thing. If Luna Lovegood was weird, weird was a good thing. Harry Potter wanted to be odd. Harry Potter wanted to be weird. This was the first step to take- be with Luna.

"Hey… Luna?" he asked, "Want to help me save the Wizarding World?"

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_Tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?_

_Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day,_

_And head back to the Milky Way?_

_And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?_

_Was it everything you wanted to find?_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?_

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**A/N: So long. Proud of self. Review, if you've read. Preferably no flames, but constructive criticism… heck yes. Wonderful what early mornings and newspaper deliveries can do. Anyhow… the Norwegian candy? Totally real. It's as good as it was to Harry coming from Luna. I didn't come up with it, but it was my idea to add it in. 'Tis all. Bye!**


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